Purpose California American Water is committed to the development of a water supply to replace Carmel River diversions as mandated by California State Water Resources Control Board Order 95-10. Implementation of this project, which includes will protect the Monterey Peninsula against future water shortages due to drought, provide recharge water for the over-drafted Seaside basin and help protect threatened species on the Carmel River by increasing summer flows.
Project Need
By the early 1990s, California American Water had come to rely on the Carmel Valley Aquifer for a major part of its water supply. The Carmel Valley Aquifer was considered to be groundwater, which is not subject to State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) jurisdiction. In 1995, the SWRCB ruled that California American Water’s wells were diverting from the underflow of the Carmel River, thus making the diversion subject to SWRCB jurisdiction. Order 95-10 was adopted, which held that California American Water had no valid permits for nearly 70 percent of its water supply.
Since that time, California American Water and its customers have managed to reduce reliance on the Carmel Valley Aquifer by more than 20% through conservation. However, conservation efforts alone cannot fully address the water demand and supply issues faced by our community. California American Water advocates a water solution that combines conservation, best management practices, use of alternative water sources and development of a new, sustainable water supply.
Project Summary
The Coastal Water Project (CWP) is based upon the recommendation by an independent team of environmental consultants selected by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) of how to best meet our water supply needs. After a series of public hearings and workshops, the CWP was suggested as the best alternative to a long-debated new dam and reservoir on the Carmel River. The central feature of the CWP is a proposed desalination facility in Moss Landing. But, the CWP encompasses more than desalination. The project will create a comprehensive water supply through an efficiency and demand management program, including aquifer storage and recovery in addition to desalination.
The CWP will produce Carmel River replacement water plus water for the Seaside basin overdraft, for a total of 11,730 acre-feet per year. A proposed location for the CWP desalination facility is on the Moss Landing Power Plant (MLPP) property. The co-location of the CWP desalination facility with MLPP will not only help to conserve power, it will require no additional intake of seawater. By combining brine discharge with the power plant's cooling water, the co-location also provides dilution of the brine discharge, which is the by-product of the desalination process, and makes use of MLPP's existing outfall structure.
The proposed CWP will include 24 miles of transmission pipeline, transmission facilities, aquifer storage and recovery facilities, storage reservoirs, booster pump stations and connections to existing systems. California American Water has worked with the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) to examine pipeline route alternatives and analyze potential impacts.
California American Water has prepared a Proponent's Environmental Assessment (PEA) as required by the CPUC. The PEA assesses the environmental impacts of the project based upon extensive environmental and technical studies. The CPUC may elect to use the PEA as the basis for its draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), which will be circulated for public comment as required by the California Environment Quality Act (CEQA).
As part of the PEA, California American Water studied a regional project that would provide current and future water demands for Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Valley, Del Rey Oaks, Fort Ord, Marina, Monterey, Moss Landing, North Monterey County, Pacific Grove, Sand City and Seaside. The regional project is presented in the PEA as a potential alternative to the proposed project. The regional project would require a public governance structure to represent areas outside California American Water’s service territory. The County of Monterey is currently engaged in a multi-jurisdictional process to develop such an entity. California American Water is supportive of and will cooperate with efforts to secure a public-private partnership for the Coastal Water Project that would represent the best interests of the community.
